Quebec Language: No English?

[brigden]

Quebecers are generally a miserable lot. It's highly likely they understood you perfectly, feigning ignorance in response to your boorish American approach.

 

[tommo123]

Montreal is not a good stick to measure Quebec with

Q city - quebec city

was there after montreal

 

[OlafSicky]

When I was in Quebec City probably... 10 years ago, I found that whenever I tried to use my excellent high school quality French with someone, they spoke English, and if I tried to use English, they would just say, "Pardon?" I gave up after a bit and just didn't try to socialize.

Same here, most of them speak enough english but choose not to especially in Quebec City

 

[silverpig]

Basically, you are not required to know english anywhere in Canada so long as you know french, and vice-versa. Practically, you have to know english everywhere but Quebec and New Brunswick, you have to know french in Quebec, and it's really your choice in New Brunswick.

I'm from Vancouver and wish my french was better. I've been to Quebec a few times and am grateful when the locals know english and I try to use my french as best I can.

When a franco comes out here, I try to help them in french as best I can. It's kind of fun.

Really, I don't care what language someone speaks, so long as they don't get all pissy about it when I talk to them.

 

[OlafSicky]

All provinces were to recognize the English language. But Quebec was exclusive in their right to the French language and heritage and they did not have to accommodate the English language.

I also hear that there is a special Language Police in Quebec that check store signs etc for English and if English is displayed they will fine people thousands of dollars.
Every store you go to in Canada has products with English on one side of the box and French on the other. In Toronto you see many Chinese signs etc. But if you do that in Quebec you face fines and the special language police will come and make you take them down or else..

 

[CPA]

Where's the Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog in Quebec sketch when I need it? Damn you NBC Universal!

 

[Drako]

Several years ago my wife had a business trip to Montreal with some of her French co-workers. She found it amusing that the French were so annoyed with the Quebecers bastardization of the French language .

 

[Perknose]

When I was in Quebec City probably... 10 years ago, I found that whenever I tried to use my excellent high school quality French with someone, they spoke English, and if I tried to use English, they would just say, "Pardon?" I gave up after a bit and just didn't try to socialize.

Never mind that your term "excellent high school quality French" is an oxymoron, my experiences in Quebec have been quite different.

I found that my of course far less than fluent and unavoidably accented high school French was welcomed and appreciated each time I've been there.

There are going to be some assholes everywhere, but you are bound to more easily encounter them if you never stray from the tacky, overly tourist-infested areas where some locals are more prone to have developed an attitude towards tourists based on the unavoidable percentage of rude, demanding and ignorant ones they have previously encountered.

Btw, how was your attitude?

Just the fact that you think your few years of high school instruction equipped you with "excellent" French is an indication that you may cluelessly project an off-putting air of personal hubris.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

just wait, another couple decades or so and Quebec will be speaking Spanish

 

[Perknose]

Several years ago my wife had a business trip to Montreal with some of her French co-workers. She found it amusing that the French were so annoyed with the Quebecers bastardization of the French language .

Lololololol, as a kid on vacation with my parents THAT was the EXACT disdainful impression of my father, who learned proper Parisian French from his French mother.

After some exchanges with the locals he exclaimed privately to us, "This is not French!"

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Where's the Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog in Quebec sketch when I need it? Damn you NBC Universal!

the very top google result for "Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog in Quebec"?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzzqz_triumph-the-insult-comic-dog-quebec_fun

 

[silverpig]

I also hear that there is a special Language Police in Quebec that check store signs etc for English and if English is displayed they will fine people thousands of dollars.
Every store you go to in Canada has products with English on one side of the box and French on the other. In Toronto you see many Chinese signs etc. But if you do that in Quebec you face fines and the special language police will come and make you take them down or else..

Not quite. There is a "language police" but you can have english on everything, it's just that the french has to be twice the size of any other language.

 

[OCGuy]

Because they try and be as xenophobic as the real French.

I meet "normal" Canadians in Cabo all the time, and they seem to hate French-Canadians. One told me a joke and said he would trade one French Canadian for two (racial slur for a minority group in America).

 

[Aikouka]

Never mind that your term "excellent high school quality French" is an oxymoron, my experiences in Quebec have been quite different.

My description of my French language skills were not meant to be taken seriously. Perky. Consider it an underhanded joke... or something.

I also don't think I was coming off as boorish or... umm... American. I might have just had some bad luck in choosing people to converse with. I'd certainly give it another shot given another trip to Quebec.

EDIT:

Although, my ability to speak French has greatly dwindled. I can usually understand some of it at least.

Chances are, I'd be telling people to speak into my phone so Google Translate can do the work for me.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I also hear that there is a special Language Police in Quebec that check store signs etc for English and if English is displayed they will fine people thousands of dollars.
Every store you go to in Canada has products with English on one side of the box and French on the other. In Toronto you see many Chinese signs etc. But if you do that in Quebec you face fines and the special language police will come and make you take them down or else..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_..._language_policy#Language_of_commercial_signs

Seems like that was the case, but was ruled unconstitutional.

 

[sdifox]

I also hear that there is a special Language Police in Quebec that check store signs etc for English and if English is displayed they will fine people thousands of dollars.
Every store you go to in Canada has products with English on one side of the box and French on the other. In Toronto you see many Chinese signs etc. But if you do that in Quebec you face fines and the special language police will come and make you take them down or else..

Bienvenue a Quebec! How may we fine you? :biggrin:

 

[OlafSicky]

Not quite. There is a "language police" but you can have english on everything, it's just that the french has to be twice the size of any other language.

Not quiet lol the canadians call it language police see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2008/02/14/qc-olf-0214.html
just a quick story i found on google

 

[zerocool84]

I hear the chicks in Quebec are sluts. Is this true?

 

[Perknose]

My description of my French language skills were not meant to be taken seriously. Perky. Consider it an underhanded joke... or something.

I also don't think I was coming off as boorish or... umm... American. I might have just had some bad luck in choosing people to converse with. I'd certainly give it another shot given another trip to Quebec.

Ahh, ok. The mere fact that you were attempting to use their language does show your good intentions! Sorry you got an asshole.

The francophones in Quebec feel their language is under cultural siege from the overall majority of English speaking Canadians. It's not completely unlike how many Americans feel about Hispanics here.

For others now about to post in high dudgeon, please take note that I said, "not completely unlike", k?

Also, small side note, but I believe you meant "offhanded" and not "underhanded" in your OP.

 

[Perknose]

I hear the chicks in Quebec are sluts. Is this true?

The slutty one are. The others aren't. This is completely unlike anywhere else in the world. ()

 

[DrPizza]

OP, my experience was almost identical to yours. My first encounter was at a convenience store where they couldn't communicate at all with me and didn't know English. From what I understood, they are educated in both French and English, with French being the primary language. I said, in English, "I'm sorry that I can't speak French. I'm from New York in the United States. They made me learn Spanish in high school, not French, because we have so many Spanish immigrants. I'm sorry, but I'm not from Ontario, I'm from the US." They laughed and spoke English well enough to communicate after that.

 

[Linflas]

OP, my experience was almost identical to yours. My first encounter was at a convenience store where they couldn't communicate at all with me and didn't know English. From what I understood, they are educated in both French and English, with French being the primary language. I said, in English, "I'm sorry that I can't speak French. I'm from New York in the United States. They made me learn Spanish in high school, not French, because we have so many Spanish immigrants. I'm sorry, but I'm not from Ontario, I'm from the US." They laughed and spoke English well enough to communicate after that.

I guess that is the advantage I have being from Virginia with my shallow southern accent, many times people I dealt with in Montreal and other places in Quebec would speak English to me without any attitude while refusing to speak it to my Montreal born English speaking wife.

 

[OlafSicky]

Link to 60 minutes pice on Quebec Language police it's very interesting

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6306519080577542991#

 

[CPA]

the very top google result for "Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog in Quebec"?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzzqz_triumph-the-insult-comic-dog-quebec_fun

Thank you sir, I was searching all over Youtube and a couple other sites.

 

[Aikouka]

The francophones in Quebec feel their language is under cultural siege from the overall majority of English speaking Canadians. It's not completely unlike how many Americans feel about Hispanics here.

Are they still trying to secede from Canada? I recall that movement spurring up a few times, but never really getting anywhere. I think Canada might be relieved... they'd probably be spared as being the subject of jokes about how prominent of a country they are.

Also, small side note, but I believe you meant "offhanded" and not "underhanded" in your OP.

Hmm, not sure. I think underhanded kind of fits, because it was more like a "shrouded" joke since I didn't use the typical joke indicator (emoticon).